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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — of the year
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. season — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com